A Hatfield Township man is behind bars after a Bucks County judge sentenced him to jailtime and probation for stalking a Bedminster Township woman.
Andrew Gold, 33, was sentenced on Wednesday to one to two years in county jail followed by 12 years’ probation — the first nine months of which will include electronic monitoring. Gold was also prohibited from having any contact with the victim and her family, and he is required to stay at least 2,500 feet from the victim at all times.
The sentencing comes several months after Gold was found guilty during a jury trial on felony charges of possession of a device for the interception of communications, as well as two misdemeanor counts of stalking and a summary count of harassment.
Prosecutors argued in favor of a state prison sentence for “six years of escalating terror” against the victim, describing the case as an instance of “extreme stalking.”
According to investigators, Gold began approaching and attempting to talk to the victim at random locations in 2015, then allegedly evolved into stalking and harassing her online as well as hiding in bushes outside of her home while using binoculars and listening devices. Prosecutors said Gold repeatedly searched online for information about the victim and her family, and they also found he had searched “more terrifying topics,” including different types of poison and how to hire a hitman.
“This defendant poses a serious danger to the community and the victim,” said Deputy District Attorney Brittney Kern, who prosecuted the case.
Previously, Gold was sentenced to probation and anger management after pleading guilty to summary harassment charges in May 2017. Court records show he also served a short period in county jail on the same charges in April 2018, however its unclear how that was tethered to the original sentence.
Gold was also charged in April 2019 with cruelty to animals and harboring unlicensed dogs, after Hatfield Township Police alleged he had left three small dogs outside in sub-freezing temperatures during a period of snow and high winds. The criminal complaint noted that the dogs had been transported to the Conshohocken SPCA, and it also noted that Gold had been previously warned by police to not leave his dogs out in poor weather conditions.
Those charges were later dropped, court records show.
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